FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots have a good one in Christian Gonzalez. Just ask A.J. Brown.
The star receiver offered his thoughts on the young cornerback following Tuesday’s joint practice between the Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles.
Brown, who matched up with Gonzalez in Week 1 of last season, battled the second-year corner throughout Tuesday’s practice, with most of the reps competitive.
Christian Gonzalez Has Big Fan in A.J. Brown
Brown was asked about Gonzalez after practice. The Eagles standout revealed how high he was on Gonzalez when the Oregon product was entering the 2023 NFL Draft, and also gave his thoughts on Tuesday’s matchup.
“He’s a great player,” Brown said. “I had picked him coming out two years ago as the best defensive back in the (2023) draft. He’s a great player. He gave me good work today.”
AJ Brown says Christian Gonzalez is a great player
Adds that he picked him as the best DB in his draft class and that he gave him good work today
–#patriots #newenglandpatriots
Patriots Coverage Powered by @Gametime @PrizePicks pic.twitter.com/2ondHpejYl— Patriots on CLNS Media (@PatriotsCLNS)
Gonzalez performed well against Brown during last year’s matchup between the Eagles and Patriots. The rookie helped limit Brown to just seven catches for 79 yards, 23 yards of which came on one reception. Gonzalez gave up seven catches for 71 yards overall, according to Pro Football Focus.
He followed up that performance with equally strong showings against Tyreek Hill and Garrett Wilson before suffering a torn labrum in Week 4.
How Has Gonzalez Performed During Training Camp?
To be honest, it’s been an uneven second camp for Gonzalez. And he’s been particularly inconsistent during 1-on-1s, drills that admittedly favor the offense. That trend continued Tuesday.
You got impressive reps like this one against Brown:
Christian Gonzalez with a win over AJ Brown in Red Zone Drills#nfl #patriots #pats
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— Patriots on CLNS Media (@PatriotsCLNS)
And underwhelming reps like this one against DeVonta Smith:
DeVonta Smith had Christian Gonzalez LOST on this route#nfl #patriots #pats
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— Patriots on CLNS Media (@PatriotsCLNS)
It’s been that kind of summer for Gonzalez, who always draws the top assignments. He’s also given up big plays during team drills, including a Jalen Reagor touchdown in Monday’s practice.
Still, the good has outweighed the bad. And that was true during Tuesday’s practice when Gonzalez held his own against Brown during 11-on-11s.
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Jalen Hurts went long stretches without targeting Gonzalez — which is a good sign.
There’s a path toward the rebuilding Patriots exceeding expectations this season, but they won’t do so without Gonzalez emerging as a true No. 1 cornerback. He has the size and talent to do it, but consistency remains an issue.
Gonzalez and the Patriots will take Wednesday off before returning to the field Thursday to host the Eagles for a preseason matchup. They’ll wrap up training camp next week with additional practices and a road preseason game against the Washington Commanders.